Never Say Never Ever
by forestwife
Summary: AU. A PostDoomsday reunion. It’s impossible to travel between dimensions. The walls between realities have been sealed. But since when has ‘impossible’ ever stopped the Doctor? Especially when regarding his Rose… COMPLETE. AND THE SEQUEL IS HERE!
1. Chapter 1

Never Say Never Ever

Chapter 1

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Rose managed to ask, not even trying to stop the stream of tears that were running steadily down her face.

The Doctor looked into her eyes, and she felt that he was looking directly into her soul as he answered firmly, but gently, "Rose, remember what I said to you? Never say never ever. I'll search the whole of time and space for a way. I will do the impossible and come back to you."

"How?" She cried, she couldn't see how there was any possible way for her to see him again.

The Doctor shook his head, "I don't know yet. But I promised you Rose, that I wouldn't leave you behind. I'm not gonna break that promise."

Rose knew that her chances of the Doctor ever finding a way back to her were next to nothing. Genius though he was, it might be too impossible a task for even him to achieve. So even though he'd promised to come back to her, she was going to treat this like it was her last moment with him.

"I love you," she choked out.

To Rose it looked like the Doctor wasn't sure what to say to this. On any other day, she'd have been congratulating herself; the Doctor usually had an answer to anything. Now however, as his eyes filled with tears and he seemed torn between what to say, she wished that they could just be back on the TARDIS, him poking fun at her. In the end, he gave her a sad smile and said, "Don't give up on me yet Rose Tyler."

Then he was gone. He faded away right in front of her, leaving an empty space where he had been standing.

Rose broke down. The Doctor was gone. Her Doctor was gone. She was never going to see him again. She could see her mum running towards her, so she ran to meet her. As she was crying into her mum's hair, the Doctor's words from earlier reverberated around her head, _"Never say never ever. I'll search the whole of time and space for a way. I will do the impossible and come back to you… Don't give up on me yet Rose Tyler"_

She took a deep breath and calmed herself a bit. As they were in the jeep on the way back, she berated herself for her lack of faith in the Doctor. She had always trusted him unquestioningly before this, and he had always been right. Why should this be any different? All she had to do was put on a happy face, get on with life and wait for the Doctor to find a way back to her.

In the months that followed, she managed to do just that. She lived an ordinary life. She knew that her mask didn't fool her parents and Mickey by the way they sidestepped around her, treating her as if she was made of glass. But it didn't really matter; she didn't have to make this work for long, just long enough for the Doctor to return.

She did still have moments of hopelessness; she'd have dreams where the Doctor never came back. He just left her, all alone in this strange world. She'd wake up, covered in sweat, terrified. But then his comforting words would echo around her head, resounding through her mind, and she knew she had to trust that he was coming for her.

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A/N: Very short first chapter I know, and very cheesy, I know that too! Never fear, the chapters will be longer in future, and hopefully better too! This plot bunny has been annoying me ever since I saw doomsday, and I couldn't live with the Doctor and Rose being in different dimensions for any longer! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – Sorry, I forgot it last time! As much as I wish I did, I don't own Doctor who

Chapter 2

The Doctor stood alone in the TARDIS after his conversation with Rose. Not enough time. It hadn't been enough time to tell her everything he wanted to tell her. He looked around the console room, so empty, silent, and almost lifeless without her. The TARDIS always had a comforting feel before, so why did it feel so cold? The Doctor shivered. It wasn't a literal coldness, just an absence of the warmth and love that the TARDIS usually filled the room with. He listened to the hum of the engines; even they had a slightly different tone to before. Then he knew- the TARDIS was mourning the loss of Rose. His beloved ship didn't want him to be on his own. The Doctor was familiar with being on his own of course, but since meeting Rose, he'd grown unused to it, and it just seemed to hurt so much more than it ever did before.

Before he could stop it, a solitary tear slid down his face. Wiping it away, he pulled himself together. There was no use in moping- he had work to do. He had to do the impossible; he had to travel through the dead space, the void between time and space and reach another reality. To reach his Rose.

It would be hard, and it would take a long time. This he knew. He also knew that she was worth it, and he would never give up on her. Although he hadn't been able to tell her on the beach, he loved her, and he hoped she knew that. For him, imagining leaving her where she was and moving on was unthinkable, he couldn't live this life without her.

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The years passed, and still the Doctor worked on trying to reach Rose's world. He tried thousands of different ways in the hope that one of them would work. He worked on the TARDIS constantly, going to the far reaches of the universe trying to find special tools and pieces of machinery that would enable the ship to travel between dimensions. He was captured several times for being places his shouldn't and for taking things he shouldn't. He was imprisoned on several planets simply because they were the sort of planets that all sane people avoided. But the Doctor had refused to avoid them if they could offer any hope of getting back to Rose. This was a decision that he paid a high price for, and one that ultimately got him no closer to Rose. He ate little, and slept less, all his focus on the workings of the TARDIS, rather than his own well-being. In fact, his awareness for his own welfare had decreased so much that he was getting careless, getting himself injured in situations when it could have been avoided.

His latest excursion was a prime example of this. He had gone to a planet that could be described as, at best, hostile. It was a planet that he'd always avoided before, but there was one last item that he needed for the TARDIS, and this was the only place where he knew he could get one. Also, after all that had happened to him in the time he'd been alone, he felt that no worse could happen to him of this planet.

On the planet in question, Klakeen, the rocks on a certain mountain could store huge amounts of energy, enough energy to maybe reach another world. He'd already constructed machinery to link the rock to the TARDIS, so now all he needed was the rock. Unfortunately, the natives of the planet were less than friendly. The Klakeenians resembled humans in the mildest sense, in that they had one head, a torso, 2 legs and 2 arms. They were most unlike humans on the other hand, in that instead of fingers- they had 10 inch claws-- and weren't afraid to use them. They also had very limited intelligence, much more primitive than humans.

The Doctor had been nearly back at the TARDIS, complete with a rock, when he'd encountered the clawed native, who was not happy to see him. He considered himself lucky to have managed to escape back to the TARDIS, with the rock, and no life threatening injuries. However, the Klakeenian had succeeded in taking a swipe at him, and had slashed his chest, leaving several rather large and bleeding lacerations.

The Doctor stood in his bathroom in the TARDIS, inspecting his wounds and looking at the bloodstains on his once-white shirt in the mirror. He considered going to stitch up his chest, but quickly dismissed the idea. He had more important things to do. However, as he was leaving the bathroom, he caught sight of the scar on his face in the mirror, a constant reminder of the incarceration he'd rather forget. He briefly brought a hand up and touched the scar, but quickly took his hand away as if he'd been burned. Then he averted his eyes from the mirror and briskly walked back to the console room. He had work to do.

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For a brief moment of delight he thought he'd done it. But then the TARDIS groaned in protest and began to jolt. Lights flickered and the console exploded, sparks flying, while deafening alarms sounded, making him think his eardrums were going to burst. The TARDIS gave several violent lurches. Then it managed to materialise, though where he had no idea. Just as he thought it might be safe, the TARDIS plunged. The Doctor groaned, he must've materialised in the sky! He was thrown off his feet and into the console as the TARDIS collided with something very solid. Suddenly, he became very aware of a splitting pain in his head from where he'd hit it on the console. The Doctor only had time to think vaguely that he hoped whatever it was they had collided with was in better shape than he was, before the agony in his head caused him to black out…

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A/N: Ok, definitely longer than last time, but less cheesy? – debatable. Oh well, never mind, maybe next time!

Now about the rock thing, I couldn't think of anything else, don't ask. But my idea was that because the TARDIS draws its power from the universe, and when in the wrong universe it needed external power, then the Doctor could store power in the rock to get back with! Everything else he'd been building was to get to the other world, coz he'd sealed all the cracks between the worlds. That make sense?

Please review! But no making fun of the rock…!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter 3

As Rose went down to breakfast that day, she was expecting it to be a day like any other. She realised later, that where the Doctor was concerned, you should always expect the unexpected.

When she entered the kitchen, her parents and Mickey were already there. As she sat at the table, her mum pushed a bowl of cornflakes towards her, saying, "There you are sweetheart. Get that down you."

The TV had been on in the background up until now, but as they were sitting eating, a special news report flashed on the screen, "Oi, Mickey, turn that up." Rose asked, nodding toward the TV. Mickey complied, and the group sat, listening to what the newsreader was saying.

"We interrupt the regular news programme with some breaking news just in. There have been reports of an alien spaceship crash-landing in the centre of London at 7.08AM this morning. These reports have not yet been confirmed as to whether the so-called "space ship" is actually extra-terrestrial, or a hoax. Nevertheless, we do have some footage of the crash that was taken from the blimp of a local millionaire. And here it is.

The group watched attentively at the screen, and as they watched, a 1960's blue police box materialised into existence in the sky above London and plummeted down on the city centre. It crashed into one of the towers on Tower Bridge, ricocheting off and hitting the ground in the middle of the bridge. There it lay, on its side, its light still flashing as the people from the early morning traffic got out of their cars and went to look at the strange blue box lying in the road.

At the Tyler household, they stared at the now-frozen picture of the TARDIS. Rose could scarcely believe her eyes, it was the Doctor, her Doctor. He had found a way back to her!

Suddenly, her heart was gripped by fear, what if it wasn't her Doctor? What if it was the Doctor from this dimension? Rose couldn't bear to think that it could be a different doctor, one who didn't know her.

She was dragged from her thoughts however, by Mickey saying, "Well, he hasn't got any better at driving that thing has he?" He looked nervous though, and she could tell that he was only trying to break the tense silence that had fallen on the room.

On TV, the newsreader had now started interviewing various "alien experts" who were saying that the ship being in the guise of a police box from the past was probably some sort of primitive camouflage attempt.

Jackie shook her head in disgust, "Who do them lot think they are? You're the one who should be on there Rose. You know more about aliens than they do!"

But Rose wasn't listening, she was still thinking about the Doctor, "Where is he? The TARDIS landed almost an hour ago, he should've come out by now?"

"As you said Rose, that footage was taken an hour ago. By now the TARDIS'll be surrounded by soldiers. Not to mention the media." Pete pointed out.

Rose shook her head, still staring at the screen, "That wouldn't have stopped him."

However, their conversation was interrupted by the newsreader saying urgently, "We're just getting a report saying that the door of the ship has opened, we do have a reporter at the scene."

The scene flicked back to the TARDIS (which had now been hauled into an upright position) on the bridge. As Pete had predicted, armed soldiers, as well as police officers (who were trying to hold back the media) now surrounded it. However, despite being behind a barrier, the TV reporters had managed to get a good view of the blue box, and they could clearly see that the door was indeed open. Rose and her family watched with baited breath as a figure staggered out unsteadily, the door of the TARDIS swinging shut behind him.

The soldiers all had their guns trained on him in second, and the camera zoomed in slightly, meaning the audience watching on TV could see the figure clearly. But only a few people in this world would recognise this man. It was the Doctor.

On seeing the Doctor for the first time in months, Rose had to bite back a cry of shock. He looked awful. His face was pale and gaunt, with dark circles around his eyes. He had a large gash just above his left eye, which was bleeding profusely down his face and was surrounded by a massive purple and black bruise. He also had a thin scar that stretched the whole way down the right side of his face, from his temple to his jaw. The Doctor only had his trench coat over his shirt, no jacket or tie. This meant that the group could quite easily see the bloodstains on his white shirt, as well as how thin he'd become. He was definitely a lot thinner than Rose remembered; his clothes that once fitted him now hung loosely off him. However, what worried Rose the most was his eyes. Usually bright and sparkling with life, they were empty and slightly unfocused. Probably meaning he had a concussion from the wound on his head.

The officer in charge of the soldiers had begun to bark orders and questions at the Doctor. But the Doctor didn't seem aware of this; he merely stood there, not looking very steady on his feet. He gazed around at the shouting crowds, though his eyes didn't look like they were really seeing anything at all.

He swayed slightly where he stood, and began in a voice that sounded rusty with disuse, "I— I'm –I'm looking for Rose." Then his glazed eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

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Thank you to all my lovely reviewers so far! There you go, another chapter! So… please review and tell me what you think, reviews make me update even quicker, honest! Also, if you review, I'll give you… cookies! So if you want a cookie, you know what to do… (Sorry guys I'm a little hyper right now…)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to say it… I don't own Doctor Who

Thank you to all peoples who reviewed! You are like rays of sunshine on my otherwise homework and coursework filled life! -clears throat- ok, heres the next chapter…

This chapter is dedicated to my little sister's sea monkeys that died recently. She's very upset and this is to make her feel better!

Chapter 4

Several things dragged the Doctor back to consciousness. One was the searing pain, both on his head, and across his chest. The other, was his world turning the right way up again.

He tried desperately to remember what had happened. He'd been trying to get back to Rose- that he knew, but… something had gone wrong. He remembered the lights going haywire, and the blaring of the alarms.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. But regretted it instantly, when the increase in pain nearly caused him to pass out again, right there and then. He felt confused and disoriented, and it didn't help that his thoughts wouldn't cooperate with him. He was trying to figure out what was going on, but his brain didn't seem to want to help.

He glanced around the TARDIS. There was stuff everywhere, and most of it seemed to be on the same side of the room. The TARDIS must have landed on its side, the Doctor thought hazily.

Usually if that happened, the ship would stop things from falling around, but he guessed that she'd been a bit preoccupied with trying to land safely this time. So that was the other thing that had woken him up! Someone or something had put the TARDIS the right way up again!

He ought to go outside and see where he was, the Doctor thought fuzzily. He got to his feet, and nearly fell over again. His vision swam in front of him. He put a hand gingerly to his forehead and winced at the pain. Bringing his hand away again, he looked and saw his fingers were covered in blood.

Now that he knew the blood was there, the Doctor realised that he could feel it running down his face. That was going to stain his coat, he thought distractedly.

Remembering he was trying to go outside, he stumbled over to the door. His vision was still not working properly; everything was blurry and seemed to move around, and try as he might, he could not get anything to come into focus. He must have a concussion he concluded; well, it was either that or brain damage, and he didn't like the sound of the latter.

The Doctor opened the TARDIS door, and stood behind the closed one next to it while he tried to gather some strength. Then he walked out the door. Instantly, he was aware of the pandemonium around him. Lights were flashing – from cameras? People were shouting and yelling, but he couldn't distinguish the sounds from each other, they all just blended together to make one big headache. He could roughly see the vague outlines of large numbers of people, but he still couldn't focus his eyes on any of them.

His legs were feeling more and more like jelly, and his vision was starting to go dark. He was about to pass out again, he realised. Nevertheless, it was important that he tell these people what he wanted. Forcing his voice to work, though it sounded croaky as he hadn't used it for so long, he said "I— I'm –I'm looking for Rose." Then, darkness claimed him as he lost consciousness again.

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Sorry, only a mini filler chapter this time! I did do my best to write the Doctor's POV, but I'm afraid I don't remember what it's like to have a concussion (last time I had one I was about 6 or 7!). So if I got it wrong and anyone does know what a concussion's like, or just wants to give me a little more insight, please tell me!

I did this while I was trying to sort out chapter 5 - which is nearly there now, so it shouldn't be too long! Prod me if I do take too long!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter 5

Rose, Jackie, Mickey and Pete were still staring at the TV screen several minutes later, despite the fact that the authorities had long since carted off the unconscious Doctor and the newsreader was back on screen, reading out the number of a helpline for anyone who had been 'disturbed by the morning's happenings'.

Finally, Rose spoke, "We've got to go an' help him."

Jackie couldn't believe her ears, "what're you talkin' about? You heard what they said, he's bein' held by the army. How're we s'posed to get in and out again without bein' noticed?" Rose was just about to reply when Jackie burst out again, "Not to mention that the Doctor's probably unconscious, so we'd have to carry him. So you answer me that Rose, how would you pull that off?"

Rose looked to her dad and Mickey for support, but they both shook they heads. They were siding with Jackie.

Rose looked at each of their faces in turn, just to be sure that they were actually serious. She couldn't believe her ears! After everything the Doctor had ever done for them, they weren't going to help!

"I don't believe you lot!" She cried, "The Doctor has saved our lives over and over again! He saved us from Autons, the Slitheen, Daleks, Cybermen, and err…. The Krillitanes! Reapers, and… and … and the Sycorax! We'd all be dead, this planet would even be here if it wasn't for him! And now that he needs us, you're just goin' to turn your backs on him?"

"No that's not what we're sayin' sweetheart!" Jackie insisted, desperately trying to placate Rose a little, "Look, if you come up with a plan that has even the slightest chance of it workin' then we'll help you, ok?"

Rose nodded, a little relieved. "Ok, so we just need a plan to get into the hospital."

She was just about to start on a plan, when Mickey interrupted her train of thought, "The way I see it. It's not the gettin' in part that's gonna be the problem is it? All we need to do is say we've got some information on the Doctor or something. It's the getting' out with the Doctor that's gonna be tricky. I mean we'd need a teleport, or the TARDIS or something."

Something clicked in Rose's head, "Wait a minute, would the TARDIS be bein' kept in the same place as the Doctor d' you think?"

"Probably," Pete said, "Torchwood haven't got on their feet yet so the authorities'll still 'ave it, and they're not exactly known for their efficient security are they?"

"So all we need to do is get in, find the Doctor and then find the TARDIS." Rose smiled.

"Yeah but we can't fly that thing!" Jackie exclaimed, "What're we goin' to do once we're in there?"

"The Doctor'll have to fly it Mum." Rose explained, and as Jackie opened her mouth to argue, she quickly continued, "And if the Doctor is too injured to fly it, he can tell us what to do."

"And if he's too _unconscious_ to tell us what to do?" Jackie persisted.

"Then we'll have to wait 'til he wakes up again!" Rose answered, "The TARDIS is huge y'know, there are rooms where we can sleep, an' there's a kitchen, so we won't starve. So if it takes a couple of days for the Doctor to get better then it doesn't matter!"

"So which hospital is he in anyway?" Mickey wanted to know.

Rose opened her mouth to answer before realising she didn't know the answer. "I don't know." She said.

"We'll have to watch the news this evening then, they're bound to tell us everything we need to know on that," Pete said.

And he was right. That evening on the news, they discovered that the Doctor was at Albion Hospital, that the TARDIS was indeed also at the hospital and that "the life-form that exited the vessel has been confirmed as an extra-terrestrial". They also discovered that the authorities had so far been unable to communicate with said extra-terrestrial. Rose was worried as to what this meant. It could mean that the Doctor was so badly injured that he hadn't woken up yet, or it could just mean that he wouldn't talk to them. She rather hoped that it was the latter.

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The next morning Rose, Jackie, Pete and Mickey set off to the hospital where the Doctor was being held. The plan was that Rose and Jackie would go to try and find the Doctor, while Pete found the TARDIS. Mickey was in charge of creating diversions where necessary.

When they got to the hospital, they split up and went their separate ways. Pete went round the back of the hospital where security wasn't as tight and it would be easier to get in, but Rose and Jackie went round the front.

Mother and Daughter walked along the pavement towards the hospital, trying to look casual, but inside Rose was in turmoil; what if Mickey's distractions didn't work? What if there were more soldiers inside? What if the Doctor wasn't here at all? What if they'd moved him or the TARDIS somewhere else?

She'd spent the whole night lying sleeplessly in her bed, trying in vain to reassure herself that it'd all be fine, but her nerves simply wouldn't go away. And now, as they were walking up to the hospital, they were 10 times worse. Her hands were shaking and she almost felt sick she was so scared that this wouldn't work.

Just then, her mum grasped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, and amazingly, Rose started to feel a little more confident. Obviously it wasn't the same as all those times the Doctor had taken her hand. When that happened, she felt warm inside, and somehow, completely safe. As if she was in her own little bubble with him, and nothing else in the universe could touch them. But for now, until she could get to the Doctor, her mum's hand would have to do.

As Rose and Jackie were almost drawing level with the hospital they distinctly heard a commotion coming from the alley on the other side of the building. Loud wailing and screeching sounds with some very loud bangs filled the street - fireworks!

Though she was careful not to show any emotion on her face other that confusion, inside Rose was grinning to herself, everything was going to plan so far!

Sure enough, the guards at the doors of the Albion ran off to the alley to see what was going on, not even glancing at the two women walking down the pavement. Rose and Jackie ducked quickly inside the front door, and were relieved to find that there didn't seem to be any more guards nearby. Not wanting to push their luck any longer, they hurried off down the corridor, looking in the windows of the doors as they passed.

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Pete meanwhile was in the storage rooms at the back of the hospital. Coming out of the room he'd got in through, he sneaked a glance round the corner. All of the rooms coming off of the corridor were unguarded, well all except one…

Fortunately for him, the two guards outside that room were having a very loud conversation which let him know exactly what they were guarding. "So have they managed to get inside this box yet?" "I dunno, but what was the alien thinking 'disguising' its ship like that, d'you reckon it's really that stupid that it thinks we have those anymore?" "Probably, but I doubt the alien's stupid, in fact I doubt it's anything anymore, they've probably dissected it by now."

Pete had to bite back a yell of anger at their words, which he really hoped weren't true, and not just for the Doctor's sake. Rose would be heartbroken if the Doctor truly was dead, not to mention dissected. Also, though they didn't say anything to confirm it, he suspected that Jackie and Mickey cared about the Doctor too. He himself rather liked the bloke, especially after he saved their world, multiple times. However, despite their unfeeling words, the guards' conversation had been very useful. He now knew where the TARDIS was. Now all he needed was to find the others, and hopefully the Doctor, so they could get out of there.

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yay! My longest chapter yet!

One thing... by Mickey using fireworks in this chapter as a distraction, I'm not promoting dangerous usage of fireworks. They are very dangerous and can cause serious injury.

Ok, that's the end of me lecturing… so, who else is looking forward to the first episode of torchwood! (it starts a week tomorrow!)

Anyway… must stop babbling…must stop babbling…Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please review and. thank you all for your enthusiastic reviews so far!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor who

Chapter 6

When the Doctor regained consciousness for the second time that day the first thing he saw was a round, kind-looking face, one that was also more than a little anxious.

The Time Lord was relieved to find that everything was back in focus, so the real question now was – where was he? He was lying down on what felt like a very uncomfortable bed, in a room with an off-white ceiling, and sickly yellow coloured walls.

The Doctor looked back at the woman, who was resolutely not looking him in the eyes; she was focusing all her attention on the wound on his forehead. Why was she doing that? A sharp pain answered his question, followed by another. She was stitching up his injuries, he realised. He must be in a hospital of some kind.

_No wonder the walls are that colour,_ he mused, _it's to remind the patients that they're sick._

Now that he knew he was in a hospital, he mentally kicked himself for not grasping that fact quicker. He could clearly see all sorts of medical equipment around, including an x-ray that was still pinned up on the viewing light thing (_A/N: sorry I don't know what those things are called_). It was an x-ray of someone's chest, a someone who had two hearts…

_Damn it! _He cursed, _no wonder the nurse is looking so scared. She's been told to treat the wounds of an alien. Her little human life's been turned upside-down and shaken around for Rassilon's sake! That is, if she is human…_

By now, the nervous-looking nurse had finished patching him up and had moved away to clear up. This meant that he was free to attempt to sit up. With a groan of pain, and trying not to pull any of the stitches on his chest, the Time Lord pulled himself upright and looked around from this new, more beneficial viewpoint. From here he could see through a window in the door, and the armed soldier on the other side, who was evidently guarding the room.

He tried to ask the nurse what was going on, but he had a weird feeling in his throat that just made him cough when he tried to talk.

Instantly, the nurse was at his side with a glass of water, "Sorry," she mumbled, "Side-effect of the sedative."

"Sedative?" The Doctor asked. His voice sounded scratchy and raw, but at least he could talk now.

"Yes, the soldiers who brought you in said that they hadn't wanted you to wake up on the way here," the nurse answered, clearly more afraid of the soldiers than of him.

The Doctor didn't say anything, he was deep in thought trying to remember what had happened to land him in this mess. He had been in the TARDIS, he had crashed… and he'd… Then it hit him, he'd left the TARDIS only minutes after crashing in the centre of a major city! Either whatever planet he was on was in a complete uproar because of the new discovery of 'extra-terrestrial life'… or the authorities wanted him for the unauthorised landing…

He looked back at the nurse; she looked human. But then you couldn't always tell from looks, as he well knew.

"So… first things first. What's your name?" He asked brightly.

Whatever the nurse had expected him to say, this wasn't it, "Err… Kaylee," she stuttered, caught off guard.

"Nice to meet you Kaylee! I'm the Doctor," The Doctor replied smiling disarmingly. He was doing what he always did, ignoring the pain and grinning as if he didn't have a care in the world. "So Kaylee, tell me. Where am I?"

"Albion Hospital."

The Doctor recognised that name off course, from when he and Rose had gone to London in 1941, and from when the Slitheen had staged the alien crash-landing. But was this that Albion Hospital? There were bound to be others around, and was this the right dimension?

"Right, and um… what city is this?"

"London," Kaylee answered.

"Ok, and I don't suppose you know which dimension this is do you?"

He could tell that Kaylee was beginning to suspect that the bash to his head had addled his brains. She frowned slightly and said, "No… there's more than one?"

"Yeah, there's millions," the Doctor said, "ok, so is this the London with the blimps? The one where Harriet Jones is the president? And where cybermen temporarily invaded a while ago?" Here he glanced away from her seemed to say to himself, "that's a good point, what if this is the wrong time?" He turned back to her and asked, "what year is this?"

"2007," Kaylee faltered, "and, yes this is that London… the one you were describing… Sir, I mean… Doctor. Are you sure you're ok?

"Yes, I'm fine." The Doctor assured her. And he was. Ok so he wasn't physically fine, he was still in quite a lot of pain to tell the truth, and ok he wasn't completely mentally or even emotionally fine. But he was fine in the sense that for the first time in years he was in the same dimension as Rose. He was sure of it.

"Tell me Kaylee, I don't suppose you know anyone called Rose Tyler do you? She's about so high," he motioned with his hand about how high Rose was, "blonde with brown eyes, and probably the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life… and that's saying something. Oh, and she's…"

The Doctor never got to finish his sentence, because at that moment the door opened abruptly and an unpleasant-looking man in uniform, one who clearly thought he was God's gift to the universe, strode in.

However, it wasn't this man's facial features that made him so unpleasant; he had a very ordinary face, nothing special that stood out at all. It was the expression on his face that made him so unpleasant looking; he had a kind of sneer that looked like it was probably a permanent fixture there.

He glanced at the Doctor briefly, before turning to the nurse and saying, "You will return to your usual duties now, and if you so much as breathe a word of what you have seen today to anyone, you will be severely dealt with. Understand?"

Kaylee nodded hurriedly and said, "Y-yes Sir."

Apparently satisfied with this, the man turned to the Doctor and barked, "You! This way!"

The Time Lord was led down a corridor, and to another room. This one was empty apart from a desk with a chair on each side of it. _Of course… an interrogation room,_ he thought.

He was pushed roughly into one of the seats, and the man sat in the other. The man looked at the Doctor and said coldly, "I am General Armerall, and I'm in charge of this investigation. That means I have complete power over your comfort and welfare. Therefore, it is in your best interests to cooperate. Is that clear?"

Up until now the Doctor had been uncharacteristically quiet. But now he had been given the opportunity to speak he wasn't going to let it pass without sharing his views. "Well, it was mostly clear… apart from the bit about you being in charge. Surely Torchwood should be in charge of this?"

The Doctor almost laughed at the look of shock that appeared on the General's face. And the General wasn't sure what he was more shocked about; the fact that this alien spoke perfect English with a seemingly London accent, the fact that the alien was questioning him, or the fact that the alien knew about Torchwood. He sputtered, "How—how do you know about Torchwood?"

"Well I very clever," the Doctor said modestly, "actually I'm more of a genius really, but that's beside the point." Then he smiled charismatically at the officer.

General Armerall was now looking severely flustered, but he cleared his throat and tried to compose himself, "Now, you will answer my questions. We need your details, so I need your name, species and your reason for coming here," he glared at the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor"

"The Doctor?" The General repeated incredulously, "Doctor who?"

"Just 'the Doctor'. I mean, I do have another name, but you with your little human capabilities wouldn't be able to pronounce it!" The Doctor said.

"Alright then 'Doctor'," the General said mockingly, "what sort of alien are you and what do you want here?"

"I'm a Time Lord," The Doctor replied, his voice suddenly a cold as ice, "A race which is far superior to yours in any way you could possibly conceive. I came here in peace, and you locked me up. Very soon, my people will know what you've done, and then… You'll be in trouble."

The Doctor really hoped that the General would buy this story and let him go, gushing apologies. But unfortunately, the human started to play the same game.

"Don't think for one minute that this planet is unarmed, alien. We have defences. And as for your 'people' being superior to us! Hah! It's laughable; no one is more superior than the human race!"

_Fantastic_, the Doctor thought, _another power-crazed maniac_. At least when humans were sane they had fears, buttons that you could push to make them do what you wanted. But this guy…. Completely off his rocker!

Throughout the rest of the day, General Armerall continued to ask almost non-stop questions about him, his planet and his ship. To begin with, the Doctor humoured the human, answering with the truth, half-truths and lies.

However, towards the end of the day, the Doctor stopped answering the questions, he just didn't have the energy anymore. Usually he could have talked circles around any army General all day long, but the pain and exhaustion was becoming too much for even the Doctor to endure. The sedative had completely worn off now, and so had the painkillers that Kaylee had probably given him. Before, while the pain had still been there, it had been numbed slightly. Now however, it was coming back with a vengeance. He also felt slightly nauseous, probably part of the concussion thing, or another side effect of the sedative. There was only one thing on the Doctor's mind now, enough time-wasting, he had to get out of there and find Rose

However, the General didn't seem aware of the Doctor's discomfort at all. To him the Doctor was an alien menace to be dealt with, one that didn't have feelings or needs.

He didn't take any notice of the fact that the Time Lord had some pretty serious injuries.

Eventually, the General decided to call it a night. He left the Doctor in a room with a bed in it, and guarded by an armed soldier. The Doctor was so worn out that he could've slept the whole night, something he rarely did, being a Time Lord and all. But instead he tried to formulate a plan. He had to pull himself together and get out of there, to find Rose.

During that night he examined the room he was in from top to bottom for a way out, or something he could use to get out. _Ok- situation: locked door, trigger-happy human outside, locked window, sheer drop outside, no sonic screwdriver and some painful injuries. Assets: sheer intelligence. Prognosis of situation: just about hopeless_. He sat down on the bed and looked at his chest wounds, Kaylee had done a pretty good job sewing him up but he could already see the tell-tell signs of infection setting in. If he didn't get out of here soon, there was a damn good chance that he'd have to regenerate. He sighed, re-buttoned his blood-stained shirt, and lay down. Maybe tomorrow would offer more hope.

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The next morning, the Doctor was taken back to the room he'd been in the day before. Again the power-crazed General came and started asking questions, but the Doctor was still trying to come up with a plan, and so wasn't listening.

Just then, there was a lot of commotion coming from elsewhere in the hospital, and a second later, a red-faced, puffing soldier came in with some 'urgent news' for the General.

So, the Doctor was left alone in the room, which was locked, and an armed guard was placed outside.

He wandered slowly around the room for a bit, but seeing no other way out, he sat back down with a slight groan as he pulled his stitches.

Suddenly, like a flash of lightening, a plan hit him, of course! How did he not think of it before?! He grinned to himself, he was going to get out…

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Ok, now THIS is definitely my longest chapter yet! But man did this chapter give me some serious issues! I could not get it right! I had to completely rewrite what I was gonna do because it just wouldn't work! Also I haven't quite checked this chapter as thoroughly as I usually do, for typos and grammar mistakes etc, so sorry if there are a lot of mistakes. Anyway, the chapter is here now!

So please review! I was feeling quite unloved after the last chapter (but a HUGE thank you to the 4 peoples who did review). Oh yeah, and anybody who can guess how the doctor's gonna escape will get… I dunno, you tell me what you want, cos offering cookies didn't go down as well as I was expecting them to…

Ok, shutting up now… shutting up now… honestly once I start, there's no stopping me!

Review!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter 7

They'd been caught.

Rose and Jackie had been peering in the window of an office of some sort, trying to find the Doctor, when they'd each felt a hand on their shoulder.

Now, they were being led down the corridor.

As they were marched, Rose glimpsed a young nurse watching them. The girl looked concerned, and slightly afraid. But then she was out of sight, as they turned a corner and away from her. And, well, you know the saying, 'Out of sight, out of mind'. Rose didn't think any more of the girl.

Rose and her mum were taken to another room, and asked the usual questions; how did they get in, what was their purpose for coming here, did they know anything about what was going on etc. Rose remained quiet, plotting their escape. She let her mum make up a story as to why they were there, though how plausible it was, she didn't know.

Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion coming from somewhere in the building. The soldier who was questioning them went to investigate, locking the door behind him, and leaving them alone.

Jackie turned immediately to Rose and asked, "What're we goin' to do now?"

"I don't know, maybe if--"

The scraping of a key in the lock interrupted Rose. However, when the door opened, it wasn't a soldier. It was the scared-looking nurse that Rose had seen earlier, and she was holding the Doctor's trench coat.

"Here," she said, thrusting the coat at Rose, "I put all his other things in the pockets." Before Rose could say anything, the girl said, "That man, or alien, or whatever he is. I don't think he's dangerous, no matter what the army officers keep saying. He's being held here for no reason, and I just… don't think that's right. So, umm… you can, you know, go rescue him now. All the soldiers are busy at the other end of the hospital. It looks like someone set off a smoke bomb or something."

With that, the girl was gone, leaving the door open behind her. Immediately, Rose and Jackie were out and hurrying along the corridor. The only problem was that they still had no idea of where the Doctor was.

They were standing in the middle of a corridor, wondering where to start looking, when someone came out of a room adjoining the corridor, closing the door behind him. It was a tall, dark-haired man dressed in a white, bloodstained shirt and brown trousers. He leant against the wall, his eyes closed. It was the Doctor!

Rose couldn't believe her eyes, and her mind was racing. Surely this was too good to be true! It seemed he'd been able to rescue himself! Seeing him, in the flesh, after all this time, she could contain her happiness no longer, and shouted "Doctor!" He turned towards them and froze, Rose also stopped where she was.

The Doctor still looked terrible. He looked minimally better than he had on the news yesterday in that his wounds had been stitched up, and weren't bleeding everywhere anymore. However, he was still very pale, his bruises standing out lividly against his otherwise colourless face. Rose could also clearly see the scar running down his face. She shivered, wondering what had happened to him.

Their eyes met, and in them, she could see relief and recognition. He knew who she was! It was her Doctor, and not the one from this dimension!

That was enough to put a grin back on her face. She ran to meet him.

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The Doctor had just managed to escape from that god-forsaken room. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He'd played the classic sick-prisoner routine, and the guard had fallen for it. Well he was only human, so he couldn't hold that against him. But now the Doctor was exhausted, neutralising the guard had taken a lot of energy out of him (A/N no, before you ask the doctor didn't kill the guard. All will be explained later…). _No you idiot_, he berated himself, _you can't just stand here, you've got to keep moving or you'll get caught!_

He was trying to collect his energy when someone shouted his name further down the corridor. He wearily turned around, only to see… Rose. She was slightly thinner than he remembered, and her hair was longer, but she still looked absolutely beautiful. To him, she looked like an Angel. But then, that's what she was, ever since the first day he'd met her; his salvation. He couldn't live without her anymore, ever since the moment he'd first taken her hand and said, "Run". He'd been hooked from then on. Of course, he'd tried to persuade himself otherwise, doing his best to lose her. However, after seeing her swing from a chain and help him destroy the Nestene Consciousness, he knew it was pointless. She was one of a kind, and he was smitten.

When she'd taken the Time-Vortex into her head to save him, and he'd taken it from her in turn to save her, consequently regenerating. He'd been terrified, his feelings often changed with regenerations. What if that had happened and he no longer loved Rose? He'd been more than completely relieved when he woke up and found that if it was possible, he loved her even more than before.

But what was she doing here? Of course! She'd come to rescue him! And Jackie too by the look of things. How had they known he was here?

All further thoughts were wiped from his mind however, as Rose ran to him and threw her arms around him. He staggered back from the impact, and nearly fell over. Regaining his balance, he hugged her back, painfully aware of how tight she was holding him.

"I was starting to think I'd never see you again!" She sobbed into his shoulder.

"I told you Rose Tyler. Never say never ever. I also told you I'd find a way back to you," he replied, tears in his eyes.

Tightening her hug, Rose said, "But I didn't give up on you, just like you told me!"

Here, the Doctor didn't reply, but instead let out a groan of pain. Rose cursed herself for her thoughtlessness, his injuries! "I'm sorry!" she cried, "Have I hurt you?"

"No, I'll be fine," the Doctor replied, doing his best to put on a brave face.

Jackie had been making her way slowly towards them, aware that they'd want to be alone after being apart for so long. But they really had to get a move on before all the soldiers came back to their posts. So she approached the Doctor and held out his coat to him.

"Jackie! You got my coat back for me!" He exclaimed happily. He put it on and winced slightly when he pulled his stitches.

"Actually, some nurse got it for us. Dunno who she was, but she looked scared of her own shadow," Jackie explained.

"That'll have been Kaylee! She was the nurse who patched me up."

At that moment, Pete and Mickey ran up to join the trio.

"All right there boss?" Mickey asked, nodding at the Doctor.

"I've been worse," he replied.

"Doctor, I found the TARDIS, but we'd better get movin'. The soldiers aren't goin' to stay away from it for long." Pete said, trying to catch his breath.

The group reached the storage room that held the TARDIS no problem, and were relieved to find that there were no soldiers in sight.

Mickey smirked, "They're probably all still busy with my smoke bomb."

"What, you actually used a smoke bomb?" Rose asked.

"Where'd d'you get one of those from?" Jackie added.

However, Mickey just tapped his nose and said, "I have my ways."

Pete turned the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. "Locked," he said.

"Fortunately there is no lock in this world that can stand in my way!" the Doctor said, getting out his sonic screwdriver. "Except a deadbolt seal…" he added in a mutter, "however, even more fortunately, this door doesn't have one of those!" He finished, opening the door with a flourish.

Before they could go into the room however, they heard the unmistakeable sound of a gun being loaded behind them. "T-Turn around," a nervous voice said, " A-And put your h-hands on your heads."

The humans of the group obeyed without question. However, the Doctor, while he did turn around, didn't raise his hands.

"Doctor!" Rose hissed at him, "What're you doin'? He has a gun!"

The young soldier was looking terrified now, as the Doctor just stared at him, emotionlessly. However, scared as he was, he couldn't seem to look away from the Doctor's penetrating stare. Then, shocking everyone except the Doctor, the young man's eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Pete, Mickey, Jackie and Rose lowered their hands tentatively and looked at the unconscious soldier. Then they turned their attention to the Doctor, who was leaning against the wall again, looking like he was about to pass out.

"What the bloody HELL just happened?!" Jackie shrieked.

"Not now mum!" Rose begged, not taking her eyes off the Doctor, who now has his head in his hands. She asked in a tentative voice, "Doctor? Are you ok?"

"We've got to get to the TARDIS," he whispered, not answering her question.

The group all entered the room, where the Doctor got his TARDIS key and opened the door and they all filed inside.

Rose was amazed at the state of the Doctor's beloved ship, how could he have let it get like this? There was a whole cavalcade of new machinery there, most of which was bolted to the floor. Everything that was loose in the TARDIS, including all the bits and bobs that usually sat on the console, was all in a jumbled heap on the floor by one of the walls. There were cables and wires everywhere, and the console was emitting small puffs of smoke and the odd shower of sparks.

The Doctor staggered around the console, flicking switches and pulling levers. The TARDIS groaned in protest, but obediently dematerialised.

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This chapter gave me GRIEF!!!! That's why it was so long in coming (sorry!) I'm still not completely happy with it, but it was just depressing me every time I tried to edit it, so I'm very sorry if it doesn't live up to your expectations of how you wanted the Doctor and Rose's reunion to be.

Yeah, umm… chapter 8 might be a little while because at the moment it's only a 9 line summary (I wrote one for each chapter when I started this story) which I'm going to have to completely change anyway! Also I have huge amounts of psychology and history coursework to be doing, squeaks in fear and tries to run away from the history folder and psychology experiment folder that have mutated (from lack of use), grown limbs and are now advancing looking menacing! But if I take too long, feel free to prod me! lol

Anyway, happier subject, anyone watch Torchwood yesterday? I watched it, then I watched minority report after it, and then I couldn't be bothered to get up (I had a blanket over me and a cat sitting on me, so I was nice and warm for once - our house is freezing), so I watched both episodes of Torchwood again! (they were repeated after minority report). So I didn't got to bed til about 3 am (you don't need to tell me I'm insane, I already know!)

Ok, every chapter, I tell myself, "Only write approx 2-3 lines of author's notes" and yet somehow, those 2-3 lines always end up being longer than the actual chapter! (well not quite). Ok really stopping this time. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter 8

The TARDIS materialised in the large marble hall of the Tyler household.

Everyone stepped out, Rose supporting the Doctor, and went in silence to the living room, where they sat down.

Awkward silence filled the room, everyone nervously glancing the Doctor's way now and again, while the Doctor was sitting, his head in his hands, rubbing his temples.

"So, did you kill 'em? The soldiers I mean." Mickey broke the silence.

The Doctor looked up, "they weren't dead. I made them fall asleep," then, turning to Rose, he said, "like I did with Chloe Webber at the 2012 Olympics. Remember Rose?"

"Yeah I remember," Rose murmured, "But I also remember that back then you had to put your hands on her temples to make her fall asleep, you couldn't do it just by lookin' at her."

The Doctor gave her a sad smile, "Things change Rose. I've changed."

"What changed?" Rose asked desperately.

"Something happened to me," he replied, trying to evade the subject, "and now I can do things."

"Like makin' people fall asleep you mean?" Jackie said.

"Yeah, that and… other things." The Doctor said, looking at the floor.

"Like what?" Rose asked quietly, hoping she wasn't pushing her luck.

The Doctor didn't answer, he just turned and looked at her. He didn't look angry, or upset that she'd asked. It seemed as though he was just deciding what he was going to tell her. After a moment, he sighed.

"Ok," he said, "I'm only going to do this once ok? It uses up a lot of energy… _and it gives me one hell of a headache afterwards. Even worse than the hangover I had after drinking 11 hyper-vodkas with Jack on Poseidon 12. And that's really saying something, that was one hell of a hangover. Funny, Time Lords don't usually get hangovers… I didn't think I could get drunk either… But Jack always did know the best places to buy drinks, especially alcoholic ones. Amazing really, in nearly 900 years of time travel, Jack was the first companion who asked to go drinking. Most of them want to see the future, want to see far off planets and horizons. But-----"_

"What was it you were going to show us Doctor?" Rose interrupted, steering the Doctor back on track. She knew how easily distractible he was, although it was strange that he let himself get distracted on a matter this important.

The Doctor looked at her, _"I'm doing it now Rose. This is what I wanted to show you. This is what I can do now. Back when my people were still around, Time Lords could speak this way, but not with any other species. You and your family are human, Rose. I shouldn't be able to do this."_

As he spoke, Rose watched the Doctor's face. His lips never moved. His voice was talking in her head. And judging by the expressions on her families faces, they could hear him too.

"You're—you're telepathic," Rose said, barely able to believe it. She'd known that the Doctor had minor psychic powers before this, but nothing to this extent.

When the Doctor nodded, Jackie asked worriedly, "So, can you hear what we're thinkin' right now?"

"Nah," the Doctor said, "It takes a lot of effort. Plus, imagine what that'd be like. Me, hearing what every little human around was thinking! I'd have to listen to people thinking about picking up their dry cleaning, or what they need to get from the shops! It'd be a nightmare!"

"I'll say," Rose mumbled. She knew that there was _no way_ she wanted the Doctor knowing all of her thoughts. Especially some of her daydreams about him…

No one said anything for a minute, not sure of what to say. Rose however, was looking at the Doctor, who was now clearly in some pain. His brow was furrowed, his eyes closed, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose. But what really worried her was that his nose had started bleeding. The Doctor never got nosebleeds. Whenever she got one, he would start talking about the weaknesses of human physiology, and how nosebleeds were caused by imperfections of blood capillaries in the brain.

She still didn't say anything though. She watched as the Doctor got out a handkerchief for his nose, and was horrified to see that it was already covered in bloodstains. This had happened to him before! She still didn't say anything though. Instead, she handed him a box of tissues.

While the Doctor was trying to stop the bleeding, Jackie and Pete went to get some tea and make some sandwiches (it was the cook's day off).

Mickey turned on the TV. The news was still showing, and it was re-playing the footage of the TARDIS crash-landing onto Tower Bridge.

"Blimey!" The Doctor exclaimed, watching the TARDIS's rapid decent on London, and wincing at her impact with Tower Bridge. "The TARDIS is not going to be happy with me bashing her around like that. That was a very iffy landing, and I've got the injuries to prove it!"

Rose laughed.

"What?!" The Doctor asked, pretending to be affronted.

"Nothing, it just that is the first time I've ever heard you admit to be bad at flying TARDIS… and what kind of a word is 'iffy'?!" she asked, grinning.

He grinned back, "I'll have you know that A. I'm not bad at flying the TARDIS, she's very temperamental, I'd like to see you do better, and B. I happen to think that 'iffy' is a very good word, and one that's definitely not used enough!"

Their playful banter was interrupted by Mickey calling "Rose! Doctor!"

Looking over at him, the smiles faded from their faces when they saw what Mickey was looking at. The news was now showing pictures of Rose and Jackie, naming them as possible alien conspirators, and involved with helping the alien escape into the 'unsuspecting, defenceless population of London'. Mickey and Pete's pictures were also on the screen, despite the fact that no one even witnessed them at the hospital.

Looking at their photos on the TV screen, Rose said, "We can't stay here. We have to leave an' never come back."

Mickey glanced from the screen to Rose's face, "You weren't goin' to stay anyway, were you? Now he's back, you would've left, whether we came too or not."

"Yeah, I would've." Rose said, challenging Mickey to have a go at her about it. "But now, none of us can stay here. Look!" She gestured at their photos, "we've been named alien conspirators."

But Mickey had found a flaw with the plan. "One problem. In our world, aren't we listed as dead? And Pete! According to our world, he died nearly 20 years ago. What're we goin' to do about that?"

"Oh God, yeah!" Rose exclaimed, "Doctor? What're we goin' to do about that?"

"Well… using a computer I could hack into registry office, or Mickey here could, and take you off the list of the dead. Also if I take you back soon enough, it won't be so unbelievable to people that you're back. And Pete…" The Doctor paused, thinking, "…It'll be tricky, but I'm sure we can come up with something."

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In the end, everyone, including Jackie, agreed that it was for the best. So for the next couple of hours, the house was in an uproar. While suitcase upon suitcase, and box upon box was stacked up in the Tyler's spacious marble hall, ready to be loaded into the TARDIS.

Looking at the pile, the Doctor raised his eyebrows at Rose, "Blimey! It's a good think the TARDIS goes on forever, or we'd never fit everything in! I don't know where your mother thinks she's going to put all this stuff once she gets back to her flat!"

"Right," Pete said, striding into the hall with another suitcase, "I think that's just about all of it. And I've written cheques for the staff, and left a letter for my lawyer telling him to auction everything off and give the profit to charity… So all we have to do, is get all this stuff in your box!"

Once everything was packed away in the TARDIS, Rose showed her mum and dad where they'd be sleeping. Mickey of course, used the same room as he had the last time he'd travelled with the Doctor, and was surprised to find that everything he'd left behind was still there. Rose was likewise surprised, when she visited her room, to find that nothing had moved, right down to the open lip-gloss she'd left on her dressing table. It was all dried up by now, but it was still in the exact same position as she left it.

Relieved that the Doctor hadn't got rid of anything, Rose went back to the console room. There she found the Doctor, fiddling with some wires and attaching them together with the sonic screwdriver.

Sensing her come in, the Doctor said, "I reckon we're actually good to go, or good enough anyway. I mean, once we get back to our world, I'll have to do some more repairs depending on how good the journey was, but I think that everything is in good enough condition to get us there in one piece!"

He was smiling triumphantly at her, but behind the smile, Rose could see the look of pain in his eyes, and knew that he was far from fine. Something had happened to him, something he didn't want to tell her. And because of whatever had happened, his psychic powers had been greatly increased. And because of this increase of power, he was in pain. She could see it.

Still looking at him, she realised that he was looking expectantly at her, clearly waiting for some sort of reply to what he'd been saying.

"So we can leave first thing in the mornin'? That's good," She said, nodding, "because that means that you can get a decent night's sleep before we go!"

She saw him open his mouth to argue, and immediately said, "No arguments! You need it! You're goin' to sleep whether you like it or not!" And with that, she grabbed his arm and practically dragged him towards the corridor with the bedrooms in.

Seeing him wince slightly, and put a hand to his head, she asked in a softer voice, "D'you want an aspirin or something?"

The Doctor looked at her in confusion.

"For your headache," she clarified.

"No, no, I'm fine," the Doctor protested, "and besides, I'm allergic to aspirin."

"Seriously?"

"Yep," he nodded, "a single tablet could kill me, same with some other earth medicines actually."

"Right, note to self, never give the Doctor aspirin." Rose muttered and called, "Night Doctor!" once they reached the bedrooms.

She waited and made sure that he went in his room, before entering her own room and climbing into bed.

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Hmmm, I'm still not completely happy with this chapter, but I couldn't leave you all hanging without an update for any longer!

By the way, when I was talking about blood capillaries in the brain causing nose bleeds, I have absolutely no idea if that makes any sense, as I don't do biology anymore. So if it's wrong, I apologise profusely, and do feel free to set me straight!

One last chapter to go! And it shouldn't be too long, because it's basically written already. I'm fairly certain that I'm going to do a sequel to this, and I've got a fairly good idea of most of what's gonna happen in it (kind of). But if anyone has anything that they really want to see in it, please let me know!

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Chapter 9

It was several hours after they had all gone to bed, but Rose couldn't sleep. She was too worried about the Doctor. When she'd said goodnight to him earlier, he had seemed like he was still in pain. Thinking about it, she realised that he probably still had a concussion from when he crashed the TARDIS. Weren't you supposed to wake people who had a concussion up every few hours? She remembered hearing that somewhere. So should she wake the Doctor?

Unable to stay lying in bed worrying any longer, Rose walked down the dimly lit corridor to the Doctor's room and opened the door to check on him. No Doctor – his bed had been abandoned some time earlier, the covers thrown back and his trench coat missing. A little annoyed that he refused to take care of himself, Rose walked quickly to the console room to find him.

Sure enough, that was where the Doctor was. He was just standing, only wearing his pyjama bottoms and his trench coat, looking at the monitor on the console.

"You should be sleepin' y'know, "Rose said from the doorway.

The Doctor turned to face her and said, "Yeah, I know."

Rose walked over to him, "Can't I leave you alone for a couple of hours and trust you to go and get some sleep?"

The Doctor didn't answer her question, but turned back to the monitor. "They've found us. They searched the whole house, and couldn't find you lot, so they've figured that you're probably in here with me."

"Apparently not," Rose mumbled under her breath, in answer to her own question. Then as the Doctor watched the soldiers that had surrounded the TARDIS, she took a better look at the console room. It really had changed a lot from the last time she was here, and it really was a complete mess. Most of the new pieces of machinery were hooked up to various parts of the TARDIS with long wires and cables. "So, you've been doin' some work then?"

"Yeah, this is what I had to fix up so the TARDIS could get here. Glad I bolted it to the floor though, or it'd probably all've been destroyed when I crashed here."

Still looking around at the changes in the console room, a thought occurred to Rose. "Umm, Doctor? Has anything else changed? I mean, has there been anyone else here, travelling with you?" She asked awkwardly.

The Doctor turned and looked straight at her, and she could see the pain in his eyes as he answered, "No Rose, there could never have been someone else other than you."

"What, so you've been travelling on your own for…" Rose trailed off, realising that she didn't know how long it'd been for the Doctor. "How long has it been for you Doctor?"

The Doctor glanced away from her and looked back at the monitor, "Not that long," he mumbled under his breath, scratching his ear.

Rose however, was not convinced. She knew that habit, whenever the Doctor tried to lie to her, he always scratched his ear, "You're lying Doctor. Look at me, and tell me the truth, how long?"

The Doctor looked back at Rose, and through his eyes, she could see how much he was hurting. She pulled him into a hug, and he whispered, "57 years Rose. That's how long it was for me."

To say this shocked Rose would be a huge understatement. She was absolutely astounded, her Doctor had been on his own for over half a century. It'd been hard and painful enough for her, and she'd only been away from him for a few months, and she'd had her mum, her dad and Mickey helping her. He'd had no one, for over half a century. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what he must've gone through. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her face as she hugged him tighter. When she did this however, he gasped in pain.

Quickly she released him, apologising, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine Rose," The Doctor said, putting a hand gingerly to his stitched chest and wincing slightly.

"You never actually told me what happened there. I mean, I know that the cut on your head was from you crashin' the TARDIS, but what happened to your chest?… and your face?" She asked, referring to his stitched up wounds, and the scar on his face.

"I got careless," was all the Doctor would say.

Changing the subject, Rose wiped the tears from her eyes and gestured towards the monitor, and the soldiers outside, "They definitely can't get in here can they?"

"Now Rose," the Doctor began, chiding her playfully, "what did I tell you about this ship and the armies of Genghis Khan?"

"Oh, yeah," Rose smiled, she remembered him telling her that.

"We'll leave tomorrow," the Doctor said, "Give them lot one more surprise as we go." Then he grinned at her. It was a mere ghost of his usual grin, but it was near enough to his old one that Rose was unable to stop herself from automatically grinning back at him. It was definitely a start to getting the Doctor back to how he was before.

"Come on!" Rose grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door, "You said it yourself, we're not leavin' 'til tomorrow, and you need some rest. Except this time I'm staying to make sure you actually go to sleep!"

A few minutes later, she was curled up next to the Doctor, tucked up in bed. She smiled to herself. This was as it should be, them together again. She lay with her head on his bare chest, listening to the comforting sound of his dual heartbeat, and looked up at him. There was no sign of fear, desperation or pain anymore. The only thing that marred his now-peaceful face was the scar down it's right side. For her it was a symbol of what the Doctor had had to go through without her, maybe one day when he was ready, he'd tell her about all those years he'd spent alone, and what had happened to him. The Doctor was almost completely asleep by now, but he was awake enough to mumble sleepily, "Rose Tyler, I love you." At this, she snuggled closer to him, being very careful of his stitches, and closed her eyes. "Quite right too," she replied.

THE END

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Finished! Yes I know, a very cheesy ending, but I thought that the Doctor should really finish his sentence from the beach! (after all, he did start it a VERY long time ago!) I wasn't really sure of how many years the Doctor should've been alone for. But I figured that even for someone as clever as him, it would've taken him a long time to find a way back to Rose, and I really wanted to show that he never gave up looking for her.

Anyway, I will be doing a sequel sometime soon, and I would've told you the name now, but I haven't thought of one yet!

This is your last chance to review this story, so please, please, please, PLEASE take it, and tell me what you thought of the story (and/or anything you want to see in the sequel)!

Any questions or anything anyone wants to say, always feel free to PM me, I will always reply! (and I love getting messages!)


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